Motor vehicles are being equipped with increasing amounts of sensor technology designed to assist drivers in manually handling their vehicles in a variety of situations. These sensors enable a variety of features such as parking assist, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection, all of which are now available as add-ons to standard vehicle configurations. Some of these sensors are also being used in connection with automated driving. Autonomous driving technology has experienced rapid development in recent years, but is still a long way from being able to operate without human control in all situations.
One commonly encountered situation that poses a difficult challenge to automated control is aggressive driving behavior by other drivers, in particular, tailgating. Because automated driving control techniques are designed to prioritize safety, a vehicle operating under automated control may travel more slowly than a manually operated vehicle. Thus the frequency with which an automated vehicle encounters a tailgater may be higher compared to manual driving. Automated vehicles therefore need to be able to handle tailgating situations in an effective manner. In addition, fully autonomous vehicles should be able to safely handle all situations, regardless of probability of occurrence of each situation.